While 4 Dead’s influences are not unfamiliar—something like old Mistress or Labrat (but less crazy), and general British metallic HC/d-beat pairings—they pack a lot into short songs, keeping the energy and manic nature up. It’s good to hear that with some blast beats, because they go together well, like peanut butter and jelly. The last track is cool in the way it features false starts with the guitar before the song finally kicks in.
The band loses momentum in the middle of “Smoke Signals,” with a southern doom metal-inspired riff. D.U. has a low tolerance for that kind of thing if Eyehategod isn’t doing it, but that’s just personal taste. Plus, the lonely twangy guitar at the end of the recording is anticlimactic. Still, with these points aside, Anchors is a strong effort from these Australians.
Vinyl from Trial and Error and CD from The Path Less Traveled.
